Fighting the Fight. . .

. . . with a smile and a joyful heart

I'm going to tell you about a very special woman.

Beth Wertz was one of the reasons I joined the church that I attend right now. She always greeted me with a smile that filled her entire face all the way to her eyes. She was a member of the Sunday School class I attended for awhile, and in our discussions her comments, even when disagreeing with something, were well thought out, eloquent, and kind. She organized our church's annual beach retreat down to each morsel of food, and we knew how much it cost, where we'd be, when we needed to be at certain places, etc. She had a wonderful knack for organization.

But beyond that, Beth was a hero. A wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to many, she worked to make her family, her church, her community, her world better people and places. She endured Celiac Disease (intolerance to gluten) and cancer with little or no complaints uttered. While I am sure she suffered with both of these, especially the cancer that took her life last week, she did not let it stop her from her service to her fellow humans. If you did not know Beth, you would not have known she was sick. It was not an excuse for her. She continued to fully live and embrace life.

Last summer when I was diagnosed with uterine cancer, Beth was one of the first church members (outside my besties) that contacted me. She sent me several cards when I had surgery and during the recovery time. And greeted me with hugs when I returned to church all the while undergoing treatments herself. She was a major support. And I don't even think she knew it. She did not do it to be recognized. She did it because she was Beth.

Yesterday our church was packed--standing room only--with people that Beth had touched in some way or another. We read scripture that she chose and sang the songs that she wanted us to sing, and even though we were all incredibly sad, grieving the loss of this special person, it was a celebration of her life and her work.

Now, I'm left to process everything. And I ask myself, "So what can I take away from all of this? What can I learn from my friend, Beth?"

• Make every day count
• Make each person feel special
• Help others without concern of cost or benefit to me
• Love without bounds
• Celebrate the victories, large and small, in life with my entire being.

This are things that maybe I try to do already, but that I can continue to do mindfully. They are attitudes and actions that will help me on the many journeys that I am on. (I needed to remember the "Love without bounds" when my 8th grade class was here today! Sheesh!) I was very sad yesterday, and still am sad today, and probably will be for awhile. But instead of wallowing, I will allow myself to grieve, and I will celebrate what I learned from this phenomenal lady. My life is better from knowing Beth Wertz, and I thank her!

A few minutes. . .

&#. . . to catch my breath

Wow--it has been a crazy week! One that can possibly be described as a roller coaster. Yes, it's cliché, but it is appropo.

First, to catch you up on the weight loss journey:
I've lost 42.2 pounds (every tenth a pound counts, right?) and an amazing 52.25 inches! Yes, I did a little happy dance--ok a big happy dance--all around my room until the dogs started jumping around and barking, so I quit to avoid waking the neighbors that needed their sleep, since they were up making all kinds of noise and vacuuming until after 2:30. I was beyond thrilled!

The business journey:
It's been a rough week. Two people that I sponsored decided that this was not for them. It's ok, and they know that I support them in whatever they decide to do to get healthy. It took some talking me down from the proverbial ledge. I was ready to just throw in the metaphoric towel. But my friend, Kellie, helped me through the rough patch. And I'm pressing on. I'm going to have the faith that I am doing the right thing.

Which brings me to the spiritual journey:
I visited my former church home last Sunday, and it was as good as I remembered. Not only did I get to see some old friends, but the worship service was truly spirit-filled, and the message was tailor-made for me. (Now if I could just remember it. . . hahaha.) It felt nice to be back.

On a sad note, one of the wonderful people, Beth Wertz, a warm, loving, brave woman at my current church passed away (I really hate all euphemisms for the verb die.) this week. She fought cancer for as long as she could. I really did love Beth. She was one of the reasons I joined Bethlehem. It won't be the same without her there.

Professional Journey:
Our spring production was last night, and it truly surprised me how much the casts of the one-act plays pulled it together. I was and am still so proud of them. The actors were a mixed bag of complete novices to those with resumés longer than mine. They were able to overcome nerves, a crazy production week schedule, and a crazier production week director. My principal gave us the highest compliment. He said, "It wasn't good middle school production. It was a good production for any level." This made my day. I open every first rehearsal telling the cast and crew that we don't put on middle school plays, we strive for professionalism each and every time. I have high expectations, and the students always exceed them!

Now, I must come to a close. We're having honor roll assemblies this morning! I love honoring our students!

Until later. . . .

No Words ...

... at all

I had a wonderful visit to my Summer Memorial Lutheran family yesterday.

Had an extremely busy day today at school, ending at 5:45, then a Xyngular team gathering from 6-8. 

Finally sat down at 8:30. I've been thinking about writing today's post all day when I had seconds to myself to think. 

I checked Facebook and kept reading comments referring to the Boston Marathon. Finally, turned on the tv to see.

In the midst of the tragedy and once again my pondering how humans can be so cruel, I find that my words have all gone. And this usually verbose woman is rendered almost speechless.

Grace and peace, my friends. "Talk" to you tomorrow.

Oh, how I love. . .

. . .Sleep

After only sleep two hours the night before last, last night I had a blissful 11 hours of sleep. Sure, it was unintentional because I had some stuff to get done. But it was glorious! I fell asleep a little after 7, woke up about 8:15, ate a hard boiled--protein protein!--and then a spoonful of peanut butter, took my Flush capsules and headed to bed. Before falling into bed and snuggling down--against all advice I receive, as well as I give--I hopped on the scale. It wasn't great. It appeared I gained a couple of pounds, and I really did not eat anything other than that which I had planned on the program. At 2 a.m. I woke up knowing it had to be time. (Don't you love it when you wake up and you realize you have a bunch of time left to sleep?) I did a groggy happy dance on my way to the bathroom. Guess what I did? Yep, lumbered up on the scale, squinted through sleepy eyes to see the number had gone down a bit. I shrugged and said I'd keep working.

Finally at 7:04 I woke up with a start. My alarm--that I forgot to turn on--was supposed to go off at 6:30! I jumped in a quick shower, cursing that I was running late, but feeling great from the amount of sleep I had just enjoyed. After the shower, I got back on the scale. (You knew it was coming!) I found that I had lost everything that it appeared I had gained--------plus a little more!

I tell you this little story to impress upon you that sleep does wonders!  In less than 12 hours I went from essentially (not using real numbers because I love y'all, but not that much!) 94.8 to 92.6 to 89.9! That's almost 5 pounds. Now, I'm not saying that I do that every night because I don't. It usually appears that I gain about 3-5 pounds during the day--from what I've weighed in the morning--and in the morning it is back down. It just happened that this morning it was down more than I expected.

A second lesson from this story just popped into my head: if you are going to weigh yourself, whether it's every morning, once a week, etc., always weigh yourself at the same time! Your weight fluctuates during the day. If you're tied to the scale (as I still am a bit because it motivates me), remember that. Create your habit and stick to it--until the scale no longer motivates. Then do like I'm going to do--put it away. (I may have to move it to someone's house. I have the discipline and will-power of a mosquito!)

Hope everyone has an enjoyable, happy weekend!
Remember, if you want to join me on this journey, check out the following links: For more information--Path To Wellness With Debb You can even order from that site, or you can go to Debb's Xyngular to specialize your order. Finally, you can always email or Facebook message me to find out more, chat, or have me help you decide what you truly need! Come join my Pathfinder team!

Bloggity blog blah blah, or . . .

. . . do I sometimes sound like the Charlie Brown teacher?

I sometimes feel like I get sooooo repetitive on this thing. I hope that I do not. Even if I do, this is a journal of sorts, and I am just sharing it with the world--i.e. the 20 people that read it--and journals are meant to work things in our heads out on paper (or computer monitor). It doesn't escape me, however, that this must be the ultimate form a vanity to think that anyone would want to know what's going on inside this head! (Inner Critic speak) But it is what it is! (Opposite of Inner Critic speak) Owning all of that, I am just not sure how much is too much to put out in cyberspace. I've been known to be too dramatic in my writing. In fact, it is one of the things that kept the Lutheran Church from thinking that I would make a good pastor. In hind sight, that, too, was a blessing, but at the time I was truly bummed that the words I so carefully chose for my essay were used against me. Darn Lutherans. . . . {smirking--winky face}

Well, I had to make a tough decision. This weekend in Orlando is a conference for Xyngular distributors--managers and up. I worked sooooo hard last month to become a manager, and I did! Wooo hooo. I really had my heart set on going. And when the time came to register and prepare, financially it just didn't work out. I also have a Spring Production next week, so my missing 2 days of rehearsals would have been detrimental to the show, maybe. In reality, and after a pro-con list, talking to a trusted friend, talking to God, the stars, the universe, and reading tea leaves, I decided that I just shouldn't go. It was with sadness, but once I made the decision, it felt like a proverbial weight was lifted. I wasn't happy, but felt peaceful with the decision.

Here's what I cannot figure out. How do I tell the difference between making sacrifices for my new business and being "all-in" and not being willing to take risks, not stepping out of my comfort zone, not giving it my all? That's the cud that I'm left chewing on. Recently, the History Channel ran a mini-series of the Bible. And I'm not saying that they had it easier "back then," but I've never encountered a burning bush, heard a voice from above, been visited by an angel. I'd like a sign once in awhile to know I'm on the right path! Heck, even a descending dove would work. Wait a minute---Hey, Julie, remember the buzzards that kept almost flying at the car on our way to church on Easter? Could they have been my sign??? {rolling my eyes} I'm joking. . . kind of.

I do have signs, though about sharing my blog, those times when the universe is in synch--not the boy band, of course. When I think I prattle on too much, or am being too self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing, self-something-or-other, a friend will pop in with a message to let me know they are enjoying what I'm saying, or even that I've inspired them. And, yes folks, I am a writer at heart, a writer that wants to make a difference. Those little notes or even the likes on Facebook let me know that I'm doing the right thing.

Now, about missing XyngFling--which the name sounds so cool, like some of our sorority parties in college "Gag-Me-Green"--I am bummed. I know I'll be missing out. But yesterday one of my favorite former students was talking to me. He knew I cancelled going this weekend. So he suggested that a group of us meet at the musical that the high school is doing. He also suggested that we go see the Oz movie--that I can't remember the name of, but want to see--this weekend before it is gone from theatres. A little angel in blue jeans, making my weekend not such a bummer. Today I realized, he's missing the spring band field trip. They're going to Orlando this weekend, as well. Hmmmm...maybe we'll be each other's angel! {smiling}

Giving Doubters the Raspberries. . .

. . . wishing I could do sound over the blog.
Come to think of it, there is probably a way, but I don't have time to work on that right now. (I do need to get a little more "tech-y" with my blog, however. Spice it up a little!)

I'm in kind of a rebellious, in-your-face mood today. I'm happy, despite making a rough decision last night. I'm excited about things to come--which helps me know that I made the right decision last night. But I'll get to that later, or tomorrow, whenever I feel like it!

This is what I want to talk about. I lost two pounds over Spring Break. Yes, I did. And that's about usual for the way the eating plan and life on Xyngular products has been going. But here's the thing. I didn't stick to the plan. I took all of my supplements, and I ate healthily and smart(ly?). Yes there was the Great Sun Chip freak out, which taught me that my issues and habits from the "old Debb" still linger. But I was home with Mama and Nilly's (That's what we call my sister, Nicki.) cooking, and even some of Julie's, and I may smart choices, but allowed myself some of mom's homemade fried rice and teriyaki chicken, some crock pot macaroni and cheese, two pieces of pizza, some Xaxby's chicken fingers and wing-chips, and even some heavenly angel food cake dessert (not all the same night, of course). And it was all yummy, and I didn't over indulge, and I lost two pounds.

The reason I bring all of this up is because there has been detractor and detractor (not to be confused with "De plane, de plane!") that has congratulated me on my success, but has questioned whether I'd have to do 8 day cycles the rest of my life. I usually, in my head, get very 5 year-old, and say, "I will if I want." But they've questioned the ability to sustain the lifestyle and maintain the weight. Well from March 27-April 7, not only did I maintain, but I lost. The reason is simply the Xyngular products have changed my metabolism. And this program has changed my thinking and cravings. So I know when maintenance time comes, and it will be a long time--I still must lose the amount of a healthy 15 year-old (just guessing at the age)--I will be able to handle it. Even with little panics and meltdowns. (Blasted Sun Chips!)

I've made the right choice for me! And I could not be happier!
Happy Tuesday, friends!

All Good Things. . . .

. . . You know, must come to an end. 

Well, today is Saturday; which follows that tomorrow is Sunday, and Monday back to normal. Work. School. Rehearsal. Yeah, I'm just not sure I'm ready for it. But I must be because I only have approximately 34 more hours.

Telling my nieces and sister goodbye tonight was excruciating after being with them every day for a whole week. I will make my way back to Lexington tomorrow while the folks are at church, so I don't have to wallow in a sad goodbye with my Mom. Sometimes it takes the entire drive to Lexington to recover from that.

My business remains at a standstill right now. Still staring at those zeroes, and though I know that it won't be that way for much longer, it drives me crazy. I need to re-assess my courage. I've got a couple of ideas to share my story and spread the word about these wonderful products, but I'm still so worried about what people are going to say or think about me. Owning that, it makes me question whether this venture is for me or not. Until I think about the people that I can help. Then I know that I'm doing the right things.

The word of the year is courage. The word of the year is courage. Courage. Courage. Courage the Cowardly Dog, isn't that some children's show? Courage the cowardly Debb. Ha.

The next two weeks will be busy busy. Exciting and fun, but busy. And a bit stressful. On Thursday I leave for a Xyngular Conference in Orlando, FL. While I am excited that I am going, for it is the achievement of a foal I set for myself at the end of February, I'm often shy and reserved in new situations with new people, especially with so many high-energy, outgoing people. I cannot wait, however, to learn more about the company and glean what I can.

The Spring Production is a week from Thursday, and it's going to be down to the wire. I'm kind of anxious cancelling a rehearsal on Thursday to go to XyngFest, but I am sure that things will be fine. I'm quite excited about the production. We have 2 one-act plays that have the potential to be hysterical. Monday's rehearsal will be interesting after a week away, but I really cannot wait to see my actors and create with them again.

So, while today has been and tomorrow will be hard and sad, there is plenty to look forward to and get pumped up about. I just need to "muster up some courage," as someone once said and look forward to the beginnings while giving the endings their moments.